Taiwan was often referred to as the “world’s hardware store," and two Taiwanese industrial designers are retaining this part of history with an annual exhibition that provokes viewers to reimagine daily objects.

The News Lens
Date: 2020/01/24
By: Jeremy Van der Haegen

Transforming a plastic door knob into a lamp holder, an air vent into a modular shelf or a flagpole holder into a vase. These are some of the charming and thought-provoking hardware revamps at “The Misused 2.0” exhibition. The exhibit is currently on view at Not Just Library (不只是圖書館), tucked away within the Songshan Creative and Culture Park in Taipei.

The previous “Misused” edition in 2018 focused on improvised hardware in rural Taiwan, often providing unexpected and even humorous solutions in daily life. For the second edition, the artists are instead showcasing Dutch hardware appliances. Some objects will be unfamiliar to the Taiwanese audience at first glance. It encourages the visitor to learn about the specificity of tools in the Netherlands, while exploring its alternate “misuses.”

Industrial designer duo Chen Liang-jung and Yang Shuei-yuan have created an intercultural study through the exhibition — they want to make the observer question the original functions of hardware and how regional differences developed.

The pair shared a clear opinion on the global usage of hardware: the intended use and “misuse” of appliances both count as correct paths to creation and technique.    [FULL  STORY]